The present invention is directed to a pet feeder and in particular, to an indoor or outdoor automatic pet feeder for dogs, cats and the like that is reliable, convenient to use, hygienic, economical and easy to assemble or disassemble for cleaning, storage, packaging and/or transport.
The automatic pet feeder of the present invention is designed to dispense the dry, pelletized pet food that is commonly available to pet owners at pet and grocery stores throughout the country. With its food reservoir, enough food can be stored within the automatic pet feeder for several days, a week or longer. Of course, if a pet owner were going to be absent for more than a day, a neighbor, friend or relative should be asked to periodically check on the pet to be sure that the pet's food supply and other needs are being met. Accordingly, the automatic pet feeder provides a reliable, convenient means to assure that a pet will have food during temporary absences by a pet owner.
Since the automatic pet feeder of the present invention is sealed, the automatic pet feeder is hygienic and protects the pelletized pet food from contamination and/or moisture due to rain, snow, mice, birds, ants, other insects and dust. This enables pet food to be held within the automatic pet feeder for extended periods of time without fear that the pet food will become unsuitable for consumption by a pet.
At least a portion of and, preferably, the entire food reservoir and feeding port(s) of the automatic pet feeder of the present invention are transparent so that the level and remaining quantity of food in the automatic pet feeder and the availability of food in the feeding port(s) can be easily determined, even at a distance, by directly viewing the amount of pet food remaining in the food reservoir and the pet feeding port(s). Thus, when a pet is housed in a pen, the amount of food available to the pet can be determined from outside the pen. This adds to the convenience of using the automatic pet feeder, which is especially important when a neighbor, friend or relative has been asked to look after the pet(s).
The automatic pet feeder of the present invention is designed to be suspended within a pen and can be readily removed from a pen to be replenished with food without the need for anyone to enter the pen. This feature, in combination with the use of a transparent food reservoir, makes the automatic pet feeder easy and convenient to use, especially, when the pet owner is concerned that someone entering the pen might accidently release the pet from the pen; when the pet is not accustomed to being handled by strangers; or the pet is a guard dog or otherwise unfriendly to strangers.
By suspending the automatic pet feeder, the height of the automatic pet feeder above the ground or floor can be adjusted to accommodate the size of the pet feeding from the automatic pet feeder. For larger pets, the automatic pet feeder can be raised. For smaller pets, the automatic pet feeder can be lowered. In addition, when a more controlled feeding of the pet is desired, the pet owner can easily raise the automatic pet feeder to a height where the automatic pet feeder is not available to the pet. This can be performed manually or through the use of a timer and an automatic winch.
The automatic pet feeder of the present invention is designed to be either non-rotatably or rotatably suspended off the ground or floor. When suspended in the non-rotatable mode, the automatic pet feeder is in a relatively stable, stationary position. When suspended in the rotatable mode, the pet must move with a feeding port of the automatic pet feeder as the feeding port rotates and moves during feeding. This gives the pet a chance to play while it is feeding and it can also discourage overeating by certain pets as the pet will have to move with the pet feeder as the automatic pet feeder rotates.
In addition to being designed to be suspended from a ceiling, joist, beam, tree limb, door frame, or some other horizontally extending member located some distance off the ground or floor, the automatic pet feeder of the present invention can also be mounted in a support stand. The automatic pet feeder does not rotate in the support stand, but the ability of the automatic pet feeder to be held in a support stand increases the versatility of the pet feeder and enables the pet feeder to be used in locations where the pet feeder can not be suspended.
The automatic pet feeder of the present invention can be made from plastic pipe, as well as other materials, and accordingly, the automatic pet feeder is inexpensive, durable and easy to clean. The automatic pet feeder has very few moving parts which minimizes any chance that the pet feeder might malfunction. In addition, the automatic pet feeder can be easily disassembled and reassembled without the use of any tools. Thus, the automatic pet feeder is easy to clean, store, package and transport.